A Houston man has sued GE Energy alleging he was fired after raising concerns about the hiring of a woman close to an Iraqi government official to "curry favor" for the company's bid on a quarter-billion-dollar electricity contract.

Khaled Asadi says he objected to the hiring of a woman close toIraq's senior deputy minister of electricity because it had the potential to damage GE Energy's reputation and might violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

In a whistle-blower suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Houston, Asadi says he raised his objections with his supervisor and, later, the company's ombudsman.

Then, the lawsuit claims, Asadi was pressured to step down from his position as the Iraq country executive for GE Energy, offered other assignments in the region and given a "negative and troubling" performance review before being fired on June 24, 2011.

GE Energy denied wrongdoing.

"Mr. Asadi's termination had absolutely nothing to do with any allegations he is making," spokesman Sean Gannon said in a statement Monday. "Regarding our contracts in Iraq, GE followed all requirements, and his allegations are false."

Asadi, who had been in his position since September 2006, says in the lawsuit that he learned of the woman's hiring from "a source in the Iraqi government." This occurred while GE Energy was negotiating a "sole source joint venture contract" with Iraq's electricity ministry. The seven-year agreement, said to be valued at $250 million, was approved Dec. 30, 2010.

Houston attorney Ronald Dupree, who filed the lawsuit, said Monday that he also is in the early stages of representing Asadi in presenting his allegations to federal prosecutors.